Last-ditch bid launched to end budget impasse in the US

The impact of the shutdown that began at midnight Friday has been limited so far. Pic/AFP

US lawmakers were to launch a last-ditch bid yesterday to end a budget impasse before hundreds of thousands of federal workers are forced to start the workweek with no pay. The impact of the shutdown that began at midnight Friday has been largely limited so far, closing sites like New York's Statue of Liberty, but the effect will be acute if the stalemate runs into Monday.

Republicans and Democrats have traded bitter recriminations over who is to blame for the failure to pass a stop-gap funding measure by a January 20 deadline, a year to the day since Donald Trump took office as US president. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell on Saturday set a key vote for a funding measure for 1 am Monday, with both houses of Congress set to reconvene Sunday. Essential federal services are continuing, but even active duty troops will not be paid until a deal is reached to reopen the US government.

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